LISTEN

Environmentalists Worry About Synthetic Life (26th May, 2010)

A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the science world in a spin. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major scientific breakthrough last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell, biochemicals and yeast. Dr Venter claims his new organism has DNA that has never existed on Earth before. The cells he made will pave the way for more complex ones. Venter believes manmade life will be an important part of all science in the future. In 2007, he said: “Synthetic [life] is going to become the standard for making anything.” He believes it will provide amazing new cures for diseases and help in the fight against climate change.

Environmentalists are up in arms over Venter’s work. They believe it is a major threat to our existence. Campaigners are fighting to ban any form of synthetic life from getting into the wild. One campaigner, Jim Thomas, expressed his fears to Britain’s ‘Independent’ newspaper: "Synthetic biology is a high-risk, profit-driven field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life forms can escape and become biological weapons, and that their use threatens existing natural biodiversity," he said. Mr Thomas is worried about what oil companies will do with Mr Venter’s work, saying: "Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is handing this powerful technology to the likes of BP and Exxon to hasten the commercialisation of synthetic life-forms."

WARM-UPS

1. SYNTHETIC LIFE: Walk around the class and talk to other students about synthetic life. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. HUMAN MADE: What is good and bad about these synthetic life forms? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

Life forms

Good

Bad

Cures for diseases

New fuels

Weapons

To prolong our life

Grow new limbs

New products

4. PLAYING GOD: Students A strongly believe synthetic life is the same as playing God; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. THE FUTURE: What will it be like with synthetic life? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner(s). Put the one most likely to happen at the top. Change partners and share your ratings again.

a cure for cancer

new viruses to threaten us

renewable forms of energy

robot workers

new monsters to kill us all

beautiful new creatures

the end of world hunger

we are no longer human

6. ORGANISM: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘organism’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the science world in a ____________. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major scientific ____________last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell, biochemicals and ____________. Dr Venter claims his new organism has DNA that has never ____________on Earth before. The cells he made will ____________the way for more complex ones. Venter believes manmade life will be an important part of all science in the ____________. In 2007, he said: “Synthetic [life] is going to become the ____________for making anything.” He believes it will provide amazing new ____________for diseases and help in the fight against climate change.

futureexistedbreakthroughcurespavespinstandardyeast

Environmentalists are up in ____________over Venter’s work. They believe it is a major ____________to our existence. Campaigners are fighting to ban any form of synthetic life from getting into the wild. One campaigner, Jim Thomas, expressed his ____________to Britain’s ‘Independent’ newspaper: "Synthetic biology is a high-____________, profit-____________field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life forms can ____________and become biological weapons, and that their use threatens existing ____________biodiversity," he said. Mr Thomas is worried about what oil companies will do with Mr Venter’s work, saying: "Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is ____________this powerful technology to the likes of BP and Exxon to hasten the commercialisation of synthetic life-forms."

naturalfearsdrivenarmshandingriskthreatescape

LISTENING  Listen and fill in the gaps

A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the ______________________. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major ______________________ last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell, biochemicals and yeast. Dr Venter claims ______________________ DNA that has never existed on Earth before. The cells he made will pave the way ______________________. Venter believes manmade life will be an important part of all science in the future. In 2007, he said: “Synthetic [life] is going to ______________________ for making anything.” He believes it will provide ______________________ diseases and help in the fight against climate change.

Environmentalists are up in arms over Venter’s work. They believe it is a ______________________ existence. Campaigners are fighting to ban any form of synthetic life from ______________________. One campaigner, Jim Thomas, expressed his fears to Britain’s ‘Independent’ newspaper: "Synthetic biology is a high-______________________, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life ______________________ become biological weapons, and that their use threatens existing natural biodiversity," he said. Mr Thomas is worried about ______________________ with Mr Venter’s work, saying: "Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is handing this powerful technology to the likes of BP and Exxon to _________________________ of synthetic life-forms."

Why is someone worried about the oil companies getting this new technology?

i)

What could go wrong with the commercialization of synthetic life?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Dr Venter?

LANGUAGE  MULTIPLE CHOICE

A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the science world in a (1) ____. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major scientific (2) ____ last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell, biochemicals and (3) ____. Dr Venter claims his new organism has DNA that has never existed on Earth before. The cells he made will (4) ____ the way for more complex ones. Venter believes manmade life will be an important part of all science in the future. In 2007, he said: “Synthetic [life] is going to become the (5) ____ for making anything.” He believes it will provide amazing new (6) ____ for diseases and help in the fight against climate change.

Environmentalists are up in (7) ____ over Venter’s work. They believe it is a major threat to our existence. Campaigners are fighting to ban any form of synthetic life from getting into the (8) ____. One campaigner, Jim Thomas, expressed his fears to Britain’s ‘Independent’ newspaper: "Synthetic biology is a high-risk, profit-(9)____ field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life forms can escape and become biological weapons, and that their use (10) ____ existing natural biodiversity," he said. Mr Thomas is worried about what oil companies will do with Mr Venter’s work, saying: "Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is (11) ____ this powerful technology to the likes of BP and Exxon to (12) ____ the commercialisation of synthetic life-forms."

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Dr Venter. Ask him three questions about synthetic life. Give him three of your opinions on the dangers it presents. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

T

c.

T

d.

T

e.

T

f.

F

g.

F

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

synthetic

a.

manmade

2

in a spin

b.

confused

3.

unveiled

c.

made public

4.

pave the way

d.

prepare

5.

standard

e.

norm

6.

up in arms

f.

angry

7.

the wild

g.

the natural world

8.

poorly

h.

badly

9.

threatens

i.

endangers

10.

hasten

j.

accelerate

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

put the science world

a.

in a spin

2

unveiled a major scientific

b.

breakthrough

3.

pave the way

c.

for more complex ones

4.

the standard for

d.

making anything

5.

new cures for

e.

diseases

6.

Environmentalists are up

f.

in arms

7.

a major threat

g.

to our existence

8.

ban any form of synthetic life from

h.

getting into the wild

9.

the likes of

i.

BP and Exxon

10.

the commercialisation

j.

of synthetic life-forms

GAP FILL:

Environmentalists worry about synthetic life

A scientist who has created a synthetic life form has put the science world in a spin. Geneticist Craig Venter unveiled a major scientific breakthrough last week when he showed the world a new form of life he created in the laboratory. He made his artificial creation from a stem cell, biochemicals and yeast. Dr Venter claims his new organism has DNA that has never existed on Earth before. The cells he made will pave the way for more complex ones. Venter believes manmade life will be an important part of all science in the future. In 2007, he said: “Synthetic [life] is going to become the standard for making anything.” He believes it will provide amazing new cures for diseases and help in the fight against climate change.

Environmentalists are up in arms over Venter’s work. They believe it is a major threat to our existence. Campaigners are fighting to ban any form of synthetic life from getting into the wild. One campaigner, Jim Thomas, expressed his fears to Britain’s ‘Independent’ newspaper: "Synthetic biology is a high-risk, profit-driven field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life forms can escape and become biological weapons, and that their use threatens existing natural biodiversity," he said. Mr Thomas is worried about what oil companies will do with Mr Venter’s work, saying: "Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is handing this powerful technology to the likes of BP and Exxon to hasten the commercialisation of synthetic life-forms."